New Roots Vitamin B6 Synergistic 100 mg, 90 Capsules

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that exists in three major chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, and pyridoxamine. It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health; for example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood-cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin).

In order for B6 to be utilized by the body, it must first be converted into its active coenzyme form. The active form of vitamin B6 is pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (P5P); this active form allows for the best absorption, because it is ready to go to work immediately.

Many B6 supplements contain only the inactive pyridoxine hydrochlorate form. In some cases, supplementation of this form singularly caused a reversible numbness and tingling of the extremities. New Roots Herbal’s Vitamin B6 formula contains P5P to ensure maximal bioavailability if your liver is unable to convert this form into the useable P5P form.

It is primarily the liver that synthesizes P5P from pyridoxine with the help of enzymes. P5P is associated with numerous enzymes, many of which are involved in amino-acid metabolism. This necessary process produces the neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, and GABA, as well as hemoglobin in red blood cells.

Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia that is similar to iron-deficiency anemia.

“Immune response” is a broad term that describes a variety of biochemical changes that occur in an effort to fight off infections. Calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals are important to your immune defenses because they promote the growth of white blood cells that directly fight infections. Vitamin B6, through its involvement in protein metabolism and cellular growth, is important to the immune system. It helps maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes) that make your white blood cells. Animal studies show that a vitamin B6 deficiency can decrease your antibody production and suppress your immune response.

Vitamin B6 also helps maintain your blood glucose (sugar) within a normal range. When caloric intake is low, your body needs vitamin B6 to help convert stored carbohydrate or other nutrients to glucose in order to maintain normal blood sugar levels. While a shortage of vitamin B6 will limit these functions, supplements of this vitamin do not enhance them in well-nourished individuals.

Vitamin B6 has been shown to work together with vitamin B12 and folic acid / folate to reduce blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that builds and maintains tissues. Elevated homocysteine levels can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, or loss of circulation in your hands and feet. Many people tout vitamin B6 as a remedy for premenstrual syndrome (PMS); however, studies have shown conflicting results. Large doses taken to treat carpal tunnel or premenstrual syndromes have been associated with neurological problems and skin lesions.